Comments on: Bronze Age Microbreweries

By: Inspiration « A pint for Dionysus

Inspiration « A pint for Dionysus — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:14:28 +0000

[...] blue: St Bridget’s Porter-Great Divide Brewery, I knew I had to get it, just to tell someone what it was like. Fuz, being a lover of maltier, darker beers, quickly agreed with my selection and [...]

By: Assemblage II « Moore Groups blog

Assemblage II « Moore Groups blog — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:57:26 +0000

[...] beer this time we get a kind mention over at Impy Malting and Oishiioishii reports that Sapporo are brewing a ‘Space Beer’ made from ‘third generation [...]

By: purlygrrrl

purlygrrrl — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:58:20 +0000

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I don’t remember the name of the archaeologist but it would make sense that she would be a brewer– she really captured my imagination and was an engaging speaker. Everyone at the centre was really wonderful– I was quite moved by their love for the place.

I plan to go back to Ireland hopefully in the winter–it’s all very exciting, this exploration of ancient brewing! It sounds like I will miss what promises to be an amazing party! I look forward to keeping up with the project via your blog in the meantime.

By: mooregroup

mooregroup — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:52:33 +0000

Well, Isn’t it a very small internets world – Not only are we friends of Pete and regular readers of Beer Nut’s blog, but the guide you spoke to at the Tomb of the Eagles was probably none other than Merryn Dineley, with whom we are in regular contact.. She’s an archaeologist and home brewer who we worked with on the bronze age beer theory, and Billy and I just happened to have been at the very spot you are pictured two years ago as part of the research for the project. Feel free to visit if you’re in the West of Ireland any time. We will be demonstrating the brewing again at the World Archaeological Congress in Dublin in July and in August we are repeating the experiment and party at Billy’s houses in Headford and will even have bands and a stage set up this year.

By: purlygrrrl

purlygrrrl — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:03:47 +0000

Hi Pete– Three Sheets is on my “to read” list, and I’m currently reading Man Walks into a Pub and it’s wonderful! Thanks for the link to their blog, and for the offer of an introduction! I would like to meet these guys.

By: purlygrrrl

purlygrrrl — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:00:05 +0000

Hey, Beer Nut– thanks for the links.

By: Pete Brown

Pete Brown — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:54:39 +0000

This is going to sound like ‘any opportunity for a shameless plug’, but I swear it’s not: the two guys who have researched and recreated bronze age brewing in Ireland are friends of mine. The story of how I met them, and went drinking in Ireland with them, is in Three Sheets to the Wind, and they are wonderful, legendary, unique guys. If you ever visit Galway let me know and I’ll arrange an introduction. Their blog, with details of the bronze age ‘fulacht’ beer, is at http://mooregroup.wordpress.com/

By: The Beer Nut

The Beer Nut — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:01:07 +0000

You don't seem to have a link to it, so I'll stick one in here: The Great Beer Experiment website has more information on the theory and practice of bronze-age brewing, and a video of the experiment. There's more the the company's blog as well. The full article they wrote for Archaeology Ireland is here. Grotusque, you can see that roof-tile replacement in action at the Cantillon brewery/gueuze museum in Brussels.

By: grotusque

grotusque — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:04:20 +0000

One of the great things about taking the BJCP (beer judge certification program) class was that I got a window into how beer used to be made. Open fermentation was normal, and there are abbys in Belgium that have, over the centuries, been able to make the same beer due to what was in the air, and no more. I was even told of an abby that when told it had to replace the roof, had all the particulates in the rafters (dust, spiderwebs, other dietrus) collected, saved, and then replaced when the new roof was put on.

Which is pretty damn cool.

I realize that the beer of long ago is a very different drink than that of today, and part of that is due to technology, not just gastronic discovery if you will. The clarity, and heck, even yeasts of some beers probably would exist without the technology to test and duplicate them. (Hops I figure someone would’ve figured out, eventually, but I’m not sure if they were involved from the start.)

That beer could be magically formed, and discovered, is one of those little gifts of the Universe, that reminds me that things aren’t all bad.